Alienware Aurora R4 hard freeze/hard reset during gaming.

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ProfoundPhil

Prominent
Aug 4, 2017
2
0
510
Hi guys,

I'm not sure what all I need to include in this post. I'm not the most computer savvy person. I have an Alienware Aurora R4 that freezes while gaming. It's completely random, and as far as I can tell, there isn't a specific error message other than the system not being shut down properly(because the only way to unfreeze the screen is a hard reset.)

This is my system information:

OS Name Microsoft Windows 10 Home
Version 10.0.14393 Build 14393
Other OS Description Not Available
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name DESKTOP-F3T7SNU
System Manufacturer Alienware
System Model Aurora-R4
System Type x64-based PC
System SKU Aurora-R4
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4820K CPU @ 3.70GHz, 3701 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date Alienware A11, 11/26/2013
SMBIOS Version 2.7
Embedded Controller Version 255.255
BIOS Mode UEFI
BaseBoard Manufacturer Alienware
BaseBoard Model Not Available
BaseBoard Name Base Board
Platform Role Desktop
Secure Boot State On
PCR7 Configuration Binding Not Possible
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "10.0.14393.1378"
User Name DESKTOP-F3T7SNU\Admin
Time Zone Eastern Daylight Time
Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 8.00 GB
Total Physical Memory 7.92 GB
Available Physical Memory 4.91 GB
Total Virtual Memory 10.5 GB
Available Virtual Memory 6.34 GB
Page File Space 2.63 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys
Hyper-V - VM Monitor Mode Extensions Yes
Hyper-V - Second Level Address Translation Extensions Yes
Hyper-V - Virtualization Enabled in Firmware Yes
Hyper-V - Data Execution Protection Yes

I'm not sure what else I should add. I don't know if I should add things from my reliability monitor or my event viewer. I really need help though. Any response is appreciated and I'll try to respond with any information any of you may need. Thank you in advance.

-Phillip

 
Solution
M
You can stress the system as a whole with Furmark, but, since you are already getting freezes with actual games, that is evidence enough of an issue...

Running with less memory temporarily would be an easy test...; if unstable, check the other half...

If you make a Linux LiveCD for MInt17.3, it has a bootable option for running loops of Memtest86.....

If thermals are under control, you are left with your PSU, MB, RAM, or CPU. (The CPU is always a last resort, and least likely, IMO; however, there is an INtel Diagnostic and Test Utility you can run...)

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/19792/Intel-Processor-Diagnostic-Tool

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mdd1963

Titan
Jan 14, 2006
16,617
1,735
81,240
Hard freezes can be caused by faulty RAM, failed/unstable overclocking, faulty PSU causing minor 'brownouts', CPU overheating (normally evident in throttling, but, not always), GPU faulty, botched drivers, bad motherboard, or even faulty hard drives....

First, are thermals (both GPU and CPU) under control? (Thermal compound sometimes hardens/degrades over the years, possibly leading to freezes/overheats)

Drop memory freqs to reasonable (1666 Mhz or so, or better yet, SPD/Default timings); drop all CPU overclocks, if applicable...

You could try running a single memory stick in required slot, trying the other removed stick if no change in stability. (Normally single stick operation should use the 2nd slot to right of CPU, but check manual to confirm)

As you said freezes occur just in gaming, you might try to borrow another known good PSU of sufficient wattage...

After that, you can have a friend possibly test your GPU in his rig for stability....

No one likes total reinstalls to rule out botched/glitched driver/OS issues, but, if the issue persists after a nuke and pave, you've now eliminated corrupted OS /driver glitch...(use a different hard drive, if possible)

Once you've eliminated CPU overheats, PSU, GPU, or an intermittent RAM stick, corrupted/glitched install, the mainboard is now the remaining $100-$200 possibility possibility...
 
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ProfoundPhil

Prominent
Aug 4, 2017
2
0
510



I think the heat is under control. I have it set to where the fan speed increases if the temperature gets too high and the fans rarely run at higher speeds. It has a liquid cooler also.

I'm not sure what my memory should be clocked at to know if it is incorrect(kinda pc stupid). I don't think the cpu is overclocked either, but am honestly not 100% positive.

I believe there are several sticks of ram but am not sure if running one stick would allow me to load games to recreate the freezes.

I don't have anyone who would let me borrow a psu or test my gpu for me. I don't really have any friends who play on pc.

I did a reset on windows 10 just now to see if it was a driver/program issue.

There's no way to run a stress test on the motherboard to see if it itself if faulty?
 
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M

mdd1963

Titan
Jan 14, 2006
16,617
1,735
81,240
You can stress the system as a whole with Furmark, but, since you are already getting freezes with actual games, that is evidence enough of an issue...

Running with less memory temporarily would be an easy test...; if unstable, check the other half...

If you make a Linux LiveCD for MInt17.3, it has a bootable option for running loops of Memtest86.....

If thermals are under control, you are left with your PSU, MB, RAM, or CPU. (The CPU is always a last resort, and least likely, IMO; however, there is an INtel Diagnostic and Test Utility you can run...)

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/19792/Intel-Processor-Diagnostic-Tool

 
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